Silver Blossom
by natanije
Summary: Collection of short stories for Kakasaku pairing. Includes many genres and AUs.
1. Chapter 1

**ONE: Salty**

"Uh."

Apparently that is the only thing that can leave Sakura's mouth. Certainly a bit surprising, considering her intelligence and her apparent usual behavior which is to comment to anything and everything if the situation calls for it, and this situation right now certainly calls for a _comment_. Or maybe a punch or two, with a few kicks mixed in.

At the very least, that is what Sakura will normally do in this sort of situation.

But honestly, who can blame her? If there is anything to blame, she's going to blame the ice cream cone that started all of this in the first place.

The cone, rather comically, broke under her grip-and she isn't even using her monstrous strength, thank you very much!-and her ice cream proceeded to dirty her hand. Her beloved vanilla ice cream! Sakura was sure she would weep. She had been craving for that ice cream for _weeks_ , and missions kept on being in the way between her and her ice cream. With the good treat gone, Sakura had fumbled with her hand and let out a sound of displeasure as she rummaged through her pocket for tissues, when a larger hand enveloped her own-one that is still dirty with the remnants of her beloved ice cream.

The pink haired kunoichi looked up in surprise, and, well...

"Uh... Kakashi-?"

Sakura can only muster a wide eyed blink and a rather hesitant call of his name, her green orbs focusing solely on her hand. Or more precisely, on _what_ is happening to her hand.

Kakashi, her lover of two years, has just taken her hand hostage, all so he can lick the ice cream off of her hand.

She watches as her finger disappears into his mouth, one by one. She can feel his tongue, licking and suckling on her appendages slowly, sensually, and all Sakura can do is gulp when the silver haired man lifts his gaze toward her. Only the blind won't be able to see his apparent amusement and the hidden lust in his dark eye. While making out is no stranger for Sakura, this is still _new_ for her, and she isn't sure whether she likes it or not.

Actually, she's fairly certain there isn't any ice cream left on her hand, but Kakashi is still licking and sucking on it.

 _Oh my god._

"There you go," Kakashi finally murmurs after one last long suck on her point finger, placing a kiss on it right after, which twitches upon contact. "All clean."

"Wh-"

"Hmm?" The bastard's lips twitches upwards, titling his head much like a dog. "What's wrong? Your face is red, Sakura- _chan_."

Sakura's jaw drops as she stammers. "You-! What are- _Unbelievable._ What do you think you were doing, you pervert?!"

"Hmm... Cleaning your hand?"

"I have tissues for that!"

"Ah, well... It's, hm, dirty... and sticky. I can't resist. Does it matter? You enjoyed it." He shrugs, completely unrepentant, the asshole.

Sakura trembles, grinding her teeth together as she blushes deep red. "You're _incorrigible_ ," she huffs then, glowering at Kakashi.

The older male laughs lowly, his smile not hidden by his mask, enabling the medic to see his dimples, his beauty mark, his _canines_ -Sakura has always been pleased to be able to see all of those; Naruto still grumbles about being unable to see Kakashi's face even to this day, after all.

"Maa, if you're that upset..." Kakashi's lips twitches in a smirk, "I'll give you free reign to do the same to my hand, how about that?"


	2. Chapter 2

**TWO: Legend**

 **Warning:** Inappropriate squeezing between the legs.

* * *

They say that there's a Goddess in the Southern Sea.

While Hatake Kakashi is one who is pretty skeptical about such things-because a Goddess? _Really?_ -he never truly challenges such belief that embedded itself deeply within the village Kakashi has resided in for the past three years.

They say the Goddess brings good luck for fishermen such as Kakashi, that she leads fishes toward them and protects the village from danger like flood or tsunami. True, he gets more than enough fishes from the every week he goes to fish, but he never truly worships the Goddess for such... blessings.

Unlike Genma, the epitome of happy worshiper, who loudly proclaims his love for the Goddess every time he gets nice catch.

Or like Gai, who never approaches the sea because the rule set by the villagers contradicts his fashion sense (his _horrendous_ fashion sense), but proclaims his thanks to the Goddess everytime his grumpy adopted son Neji brings home lots of food. Loudly. While crying. Sometimes Kakashi wonders how can nice kids like Neji and Tenten handle a father like Gai. Not that Gai's a bad person, he's Kakashi best friend in the village. It's just.. the jumpsuit.

Anyway, Kakashi doesn't really care for the whole Goddess thing. He only watches from the distance when people do ceremonies he has no deep knowledge of, watches offerings in passing but never actually participating along with the others.

There isn't really any problems with it, except for, like, one rule. A rule that Gai and Lee follow obediently, a rule that prevents them from ever approaching the sea. A rule that Kakashi has to break, just this once.

No green clothes.

Okay, in his defense, he's been super lazy with laundry, it isn't his fault that the last available shirt is deep green in colour. At least it's not a jumpsuit, right? Besides, he needs to fish to gain food and money. Certainly the Goddess-if there is even any-can forgive him, just this once.

It isn't like the Goddess made that rule anyway. The villagers made it long ago, he heard, simply because they believed green (and red, to some extent) is the Goddess's colour, and therefore nobody should wear that clothes when they're in the sea: the Goddess's territory.

 _It's just colour,_ he thinks to himself, as he sails. _It'll be fine_.

Ten hours later, he curses himself for even thinking it's _fine_. Because there's a storm and he's fucking stuck in it. The waves keep on hitting him and if it gets any bigger, his ship is going to break.

 _...I just jinxed myself, didn't I?_ He laments to himself as a particularly harsh tide hits him and he falls to the sea.

He tries to swim, he really does, but the storm is unforgiving and he's fairly certain he's going to die, when something grabs him by his feet and he _drowns_.

Kakashi thinks along the line of shark, only that sharks don't pull. Then he thinks of octopus, but it doesn't feel like tentacles.

Actually, it feels like... hands.

He forces himself to open his eyes, and he unintentionally sucks in water through his nose in surprise.

It's a woman.

A woman with pink hair, the prettiest green eyes he's ever seen, clad in a simple green dress and red loose belt.

 _What the fuck?_ Is the stress of dying getting into his head so much that he's hallucinating?

The woman is staring at him, titling her head this way and that, seemingly rather startled herself-and isn't that just confusing?-before she reaches forward...

And tugs on his green shirt.

She stares at his shirt, as if mentally confirming that yes, it is a shirt, and it's green, why does she look so puzzled? He's thinking along the lines of ' _such a strange hallucination...' ,_ feeling lightheaded from the lack of oxygen and too much water, when the woman suddenly pulls him towards her, pressing his lips against hers.

The woman _breathes_ into his lips and-

And he can breathe.

 _Holy fuck,_ he can breathe.

The woman smiles at him, and even though she doesn't open her mouth, he hears her loud and clear.

 _"I've never gotten a human offering, before,"_ her voice echoes in his head. " _It's kind of strange. Not that I'm complaining._ " Her lips tug upward in a crooked smile, her eyes appraising his body. Afterwards her hands follow suit, roaming his body without any hesitancy, much like a child who examines every parts of a new, wonderful present.

 _Well, I'll be damned._ His traitorous brain reminds himself of the many offering ceremonies he's seen in passing; every single one of them wrapped in _green_ fabric.

His shirt is fucking green.

 _Dammit, so this is why._

The woman raises her eyebrow, _"you know, I can hear you,"_ her voice echoes in his mind again, making him curse. First he can breathe in water, now it's _telepathy_. Of course.

She narrows her eyes. _"For an offering, you are quite rude."_

 _Uh. Sorry?  
_

Her looks soften, a hand reaching up to caress his cheek gently. _Ah... That feels nice._ From her sudden amused look, she hears his thought loud and clear.

 _"What is your name, offering?"_

 _Hatake Kakashi,_ he answers rather readily. _...And I'm not an offering._

 _"...You're not?"  
_

 _...No. This green shirt is a mistake._

 _"Oh, that's too bad,"_ she seems to whisper, sounding genuinely disappointed.

 _...Though I guess I won't mind?_

 _"You won't?"_ She perks up, and Kakashi wonders how she can look so cute, when she's literally holding him hostage under the water right now. Like, okay he can breathe just fine, but he's supposed to be in panic right now. Not... Not appreciating her beauty.

Though, she _is_ very pretty...

 _Maa,_ Kakashi thinks, _I think I won't mind. You are very beautiful, Miss Goddess._

The Goddess flushes red- _how adorable-_ before her fingers start caressing his neck, his collarbone, and then slipping under the shirt that started this all, caressing his chest. _"So easy,"_ she says. _"Again, I'm not complaining."_

Her hand reaches far down, and Kakashi lets out a moan as she squeezes him between his legs, water getting into his mouth. While no sound escapes his mouth, it is loud enough through their strange telepathic connection.

The Goddess grins as she fondles him, her other hand holding him in place. Actually, how strong is she?! Is this another supernatural bullshit? He can't get away! Not like he wants to get away because _holy shit that feels good_ but come on!

 _"You're mine now, Hatake Kakashi."_

Her fingers clasp on his balls and Oh, _God-_

 _"Mm,"_ she seems to hum, her cheeks pink. _"You can call me Sakura, Kakashi."_

She smiles at him, then, as he lets out a pathetic whine when her hand stops its ministration.

 _"Let's continue this somewhere better?'_

 _Somewhere... better? Where?  
_

 _"My place, of course,"_ she laughs, _"silly offering. Come."_

Her hands pull his head to rest on her chest, and Kakashi finds himself returning the embrace as she drags him down, down, _down_ -

" _Sleep,"_ she murmurs, and he obeys.

* * *

Hatake Kakashi never returns to the village, and the village mourns for him.

Some believes he gets eaten by a shark or swallowed whole by a whale, others believe he drowned, Gai believes the Goddess has taken him to paradise.

Nobody believes Gai, of course. After all, the Goddess only takes offerings, and the village never presents people as offerings.

But fishermen gain a bigger amount of fishes for the whole month after Kakashi's disappearance, before it finally reduces when it's finally another time for them to present another offering.

The villagers shrug, for simply it must be a coincidence.

It's not like Kakashi presented himself as an offering.

...Right?


	3. Chapter 3

**'ok so uh i kinda robbed you years ago and i felt guilty about it so i wanna say sorry but you punched me before i can say anything' kakasaku(?) AU**

* * *

It was desperation that made him did what he did. Or at the very least, it's his excuse everytime he remembers about it or when some of his friends remind him about it.

It was desperation pulling on his strings. Nothing more and nothing less.

True, it doesn't make that action excusable or anything, because even he knows it's wrong and bad and basically everything an Upstanding Citizen must not do.

But he was desperate, his friends know that.

That doesn't mean that his friends won't constantly remind and scold him about it.

"No offense," Obito comments offhandedly during one of his dinner dates with Rin and Kakashi as the (unfortunate) tag along. The former terrorist gives the silver haired man a crooked grin, munching on a fried prawn. "But that was still an asshole-ish way to do. I know you're stupid sometimes, Bakashi, but that was a dumb move. And I'm supposed to be the asshole in our relationship."

Kakashi rolls his eyes. "I don't recall us ever having a relationship."

Obito mock gasps, his hand on his covered chest. "How dare you! After all of those money I sent you!"

"Okay, okay," Rin placates them before Kakashi either opens his mouth to insult her hot-headed boyfriend or punch said boyfriend in the face for that comment when funds are one of Kakashi's sore subject, just like the topic about his father. "No mentioning money, Obito. Kakashi, put that steak knife down."

"Sorry," Obito apologizes. He doesn't speak anymore until Kakashi shrugs, indicating that he's fine (and that he's not going to go stab-happy on Obito anytime soon. One time is enough, Obito nearly lost his eyeball that day and he ain't going to repeat the same experience anytime soon). "Anyway, if you still feel bad about it–"

"In which I'm sure you are," Rin gives Kakashi a level stare, daring him to even say that he's not sorry.

"Right," Kakashi murmurs, half because he does feel guilty and half because Rin is fucking terrifying.

"–You should apologize to the kid."

And that is why he's holding a soft pink wallet with ridiculous colorful stars and ribbons decorating the front, glancing at the address written on the student ID card. He doesn't even know if the person–the girl whom he robbed years ago–still lives in the written address, but at the very least he can tell Obito and Rin that he tried.

Finding the correct address, Kakashi takes a deep breath and steels himself, reminding himself the many words he will probably or probably not say to the girl.

And then he knocks on the door.

"Coming!" A muffled sound from behind the door, and Kakashi holds the pink wallet in front of him, ready to speak.

The door opens in about three seconds of waiting, and he notices that the girl–now a young woman–doesn't change that much. Her hair is still pink (is that even natural? Or she's a fan of hair dye, whichever) but it's shorter, her eyes are green, though it's brighter than the one he sees regularly on the ID card, and she's wearing a cream colored knit sweater and long gym pants.

Kakashi opens his mouth, which is hidden behind a surgical mask, ready to speak, when recognition sparks inside of the young woman's–Haruno Sakura, he's learned the name from her ID–eyes and before he is able to speak even a syllable, she growls.

"YOU."

And promptly punches him in the face.

Kakashi thinks he deserves that punch.

Kakashi also thinks Obito is going to get a kick out of this, that insufferable asshole.

He doesn't voice any of it though, and settles for a groan as he cradles his cheek, staring in a new found respect to the seething young woman. It is certainly a difference from the frightened little girl he wronged years ago.

He raises both of his hands, a surrendering gesture to (hopefully) calm the irate woman down.

"Woah, calm. Calm down."

"Calm?!" Haruno shrieks, and Kakashi winces. He'll get into trouble if some people approach them to know what's going on.

"You came back after… after… after what you did!" She stomps her foot, "and you expect me to calm down, asshole?!"

"No, no, no," he tries again, "please listen, I–"

"What do you want from me?!"

Kakashi sighs, pushing his own irritation away. He deserves this, he thinks, after all it is his fault that Haruno is being so angry and… vengeful. Running his fingers through his hair, he speaks up.

"Look, I want to apologize."

"Of course you want–wait, what?" The woman cuts herself off, staring at Kakashi incredulously.

"I'm sorry for, uh, taking your money from you years ago," he says, "I felt really bad about it."

He doesn't give any other excuses, merely because he really wants to apologize for what he knows he'd done wrong, and throwing excuses at it is just… wrong, somehow.

Less sincere, Obito will tell him. It's not an apology, it's a justification.

And, well, Kakashi wants to apologize to Haruno Sakura, not justify himself like he did to his friends.

Kakashi offers the pink wallet to Haruno, the woman's eyes widening even further at the sight of that object.

"The cards and everything are still there," Kakashi explains, "and I, uh, replaced the money I took from it. Here."

Haruno cautiously takes the wallet from him, blinking when she counts the money inside.

"I had 50000 yen in my wallet?"

"Uh, I added some extra, so," he waves his hands around when she stares at him in shock and incredulity. "Yeah," he finishes rather lamely.

"You…" Haruno Sakura starts, looking back inside her long lost wallet. "You took my wallet from me and now you gave it back with extra money?"

Kakashi shrugs. "I felt bad."

"You felt bad?" Haruno exhales, still in disbelief. "Over a stolen wallet?"

"…I'm usually a good guy."

She raises her eyebrow at him, and he feels the sudden need to vanish inside of his jacket.

"…Right," she mutters. "If you feel bad about it, why did you even do it in the first place?"

"Uh," Kakashi blinks, "it's a long story, you'll get bored. I'm sure you'd rather do your own activities and enjoy…. your…. money…?" He trails off, his volume quieting down as Haruno gives him The Look.

"Try me," Haruno says, cocking her hips, "I'm sure I have all the time in the world to hear about your story."

* * *

 **if you're asking: "what is this?" same. im asking that myself.**


	4. Chapter 4

_Kakasaku: same age AU, modern AU, high school AU in one package._

 _Just… dorks. Really. And so much bantering._

* * *

It all started with a pretty much simple question: _Which high school does she want to go to_?

And really, there are lots of choices for her. She can go to the nearby highschool so she doesn't have to walk a long way to school, or that all-girls high school, or that school nearby her favorite satay stall, or another school with those nice desserts Ino is already aiming for, and many others.

Or she can go to the school her mom wants her to.

It's a nice school, which is an understatement because of its high integrity: Hokage Highschool. It's a prodigious school, in which there are rumors saying that the only people accepted in that school are either:

1\. God damn rich people not knowing what to do with their money

2\. God damn genius people

3\. God damn lucky people (although it's rare, like find a needle in this sand rare)

The system in the school is also pretty scary. With a drop-out system, whoever doesn't manage to complete its academics standards will get kicked out of the school. And it's expensive. Like, buy me a castle expensive. The only reasons middle or lower class people are able to go to that school are because they are geniuses or very hardworking that they managed to obtain scholarships.

Not to mention it's pretty far, which means she has to take the bus to go to school everyday.

The cons are more than the pros—she's expecting stuck up rich people in that school, although _maybe_ it's not that bad—but her mother seems to be excited at the prospect that her smart daughter is going to (try to) enter the Hokage Highschool.

She wants to cry, really.

It's not like she's not smart, but she's more of a hardworker than a genius, and studying along with geniuses will be a pain in the ass.

(Not that she has much data to hang on: she only knows, like, two proclaimed geniuses, and so far it's only Itachi who is not that much of a prick).

(Still an asshole sometimes, though, seeing how he sometimes tricks Sasuke and Shisui with a straight face).

(Sakura swears Itachi laughs not using his mouth, but his nose hair).

Still, her mom wants her to enter it, and well—

She also hears that those graduating from that highschool get bigger chances in obtaining scholarships—overseas or not—for University, as well a great rapport for her future CV.

 _Well_ , she thinks to herself, _it's not that bad to try. I'll just have to prepare a plan B just in case… If I don't get accepted, I can just follow Ino, her highschool choice is not that bad anyway._

And speaking of highschool for geniuses… There's Kakashi, a classmate and deskmate of hers, another one of the proclaimed genius, always looks at the whiteboard like he's fighting off sleep and has made all teachers cry at least once by correcting their mistakes—from formulas to random facts—with a straight face.

Good in gym class, too.

Because they're deskmates, they end up getting into the same group together in class projects a whole lot and they just… become friends…? Sakura isn't exactly sure how, but a few awkward projects together and now they're comfortable enough to bicker with one another, eating lunch together and there's also that one time Sakura threw him down the lake nearby their middle school on his birthday… or that one time Kakashi bopped her nose so much when they were trying out a pancake (or rather, _she_ was, because he doesn't like sweet foods and instead settled to bopping her nose as revenge).

Well, she can safely say they're… good friends, she supposes. He's a jerk, sometimes, with his blunt words and teases, but he can make her laugh, even willing to cooperate with Naruto in pranking Sasuke, which is _gold_ ,okay.

And he's a genius (or so they say. Sakura doesn't really care to be honest), so maybe it'll be nice if she can get a comrade in arms in this prodigious school filled with (probably) stuck up rich children.

Pressing the intended contact on her phone, she hears it ring for a little while before the other end picks up, a familiar voice coming through.

"Ka—"

 _"Welcome to Icha Icha Delivery, this is a 24 hour service given by yours truly. To order foods and drinks, press 1. To order a kiss—"_

She closes the call.

…

It rings again.

She picks it up, grumbling.

"Prick," is her greeting.

A chuckle. _"Hi. What's up_?"

"The ceiling," she answers swiftly, "do you give free kisses to whoever calls you?"

 _"Well, no, but I can ask Jiraiya-sensei to kiss you if you want to."_

"What."

 _"Mm-hmm."_

"You didn't say that earlier!"

 _"You closed the phone before I can specify who's kissing who,"_ he sounds like he's restraining laughter.

"Prick," she huffs out a laugh, "anyway, have you chosen which highschool you want to go to?"

" _Hm, I can go to wherever. The school nearby seems good; I can just walk to go there. Why? Have you not chosen where to go?"_

"I have lots of choices—" she starts, in which he interrupts with a ' _not many men to choose from, unfortunately'_ , and she continues, not missing a beat, "—and that includes punching you in the nose tomorrow. Excuse you, men love me, _okay_. Anyway! Mom told me to try out Hokage Highschool, so I'm gonna take the test as well as in Tarki, you know, the one Ino wants to go to? So I'm wondering if you want to try going to Hokage as well, since, you know, comrades in suffering and all that."

 _…_

"Hello?"

…

"Helloooo, Kakashi?" She takes the phone away from her ear, "is it disconnected? No, it's still on…" Pressing the phone close to her ear once again, she furrows her eyebrows. "Kakashi?"

 _"Sakura-chan…"_ He starts, ominously slow. " _I'll tell you this."_

"Hm?"

 _"You getting into Hokage… is impossible."_

…

"E-Eh? Don't say that," she laughs nervously, "I know the entrance exam is reaaally hard but I can just study extra hard, right? There's nothing wrong with trying."

" _Not that!_ " Kakashi huffs, " _Don't even try it!_ "

"Haa? What does that mean? Why shouldn't I even try it?"

" _You don't know? It's really expensive, and you're not rich. You can get by with scholarship, but that's like fighting against hyenas with how much people are aiming for it. Also, its curriculum is also really mean and intense, and your score is… eh."_

What.

" _Eh_?!" She repeats what he just said, only a few octaves higher, "What do you mean by _eh_?!"

 _"Eh_ ," he replies, and she can just picture him shrugging.

" _Ya_ ," she calls out, using that random word she picks up from watching too much Korean drama, "are you saying that I'm too stupid to get into Hokage, huh?!" If he says yes, she's so going to break his bones. Upcoming exams be damned, he's _dead_.

" _No, that's not it. I mean, you're dragging me into this._ "

"So?!"

 _"So if we end up signing up for Hokage together… It'll be troublesome if I end up being the only one being accepted_."

Yep.

He's dead.

He's going to _die twice over_ and Sakura is going to _laugh_. Evilly. Like Darth Vader.

"Ohoho! So you _are_ saying that I can't get accepted because I'm too stupid, right!?"

" _Not that! You already said you will study hard so you can get accepted, but what if you don't?_ "

"You speak like you're 100% certain you will get accepted!"

 _"Of course I will get accepted,"_ he answers matter-of-factly. _"It's impossible for me not to_."

That little—!

"Sign up for it, then, if you're so certain!"

 _"What? No, I don't want to. Like I said, if only I get accepted it'll be troublesome! A waste of time! I want to go together."_

"That's why I said you're too cocky yo—" She pauses, then, her brain registering the words she just heard.

A waste of time.

I want to go together.

Unwillingly, red creeps on her cheeks and she can't help but to stammer, "Wha—You—Why—"

 _"Ah, are you flustered now?"_ He responds, still as casual as ever.

"You did that on purpose?!"

" _I have no idea what you're talking about. Anyway, still want to sign up? You probably won't pass."_

"You're stupid if you think I'm gonna give up just because of that," she answers, eyebrow twitching, "I don't care if only one of us get accepted or not, just sign up! If you get lower score than mine, I'll have the rights to kick your ass!"

 _"Sure. But if I win I want a kiss._ "

"Fine!" A pause, "wait, what—"

" _Bye_."

* * *

"You did that on purpose," Kakashi turns around to face the source of the voice, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Hm?"

"You're such an asshole," Obito deadpans, barely managing to restrain himself from throwing a pencil at the Hatake's face. His god darn beautiful face. Dammit, Rin's words are certainly getting into him if he starts _gushing_ over Kakashi's face. "What good is there to say that anyway? You _know_ she's smart enough to get into Hokage."

"Maa, sometimes a little encouraging push can make someone work harder, you know," the silver haired boy flips a page of the book he's been reading, the smile still evident. "And it's cute to see her flustered."

"It's through phone, you can't even _see_ her."

"I can just imagine it."

"Asshole," the Uchiha shakes his head, reluctantly amused. "Anyway, stop ignoring me, you prick, you're supposed to be teaching me here!"

"Ah yes, Mr. Uchiha Obito, 57 in Math and 45 in Physics, right? Do you want to sign up to Hokage, too? We'll work extra for that, just so you know. Also, because I'm such a good friend, I'm going to settle with having both you and Sakura signing up for the exam together, and you can't refuse to sign up, just so you know. Who knows? Maybe you'll get into the _lucky_ section."

"I hate you so much, you know that? Wait until Rin hears about this, you're so _dead_."

"Do you know you sound like Draco Malfoy?"

"Draco Ma–Oh, whatever. Just… Let's just study."


	5. Chapter 5

**EDIT: I HAVE EMBARRASSED MYSELF FOR LIFE.**

 **NO, SERIOUSLY.**

 **IN CHAPTER 4, I PUT THE WRONG DOCUMENT AND ENDED UP PUBLISHING LEAT PTRAPICA THERE INSTEAD. SO I'VE EDITED IT. DO READ CHAPTER 4 FIRST BEFORE THIS CHAPTER, THANK YOU**

Continuation of chapter 4

 **(Or, in which Kakashi is going to sulk for his entire virgin life)**

* * *

"So, she thought you were just teasing her?" Obito asks, looking like he's restraining his laughter. In response, Kakashi stares balefully at the Uchiha, seemingly stabbing the raven haired boy repeatedly in his mind.

To be totally honest, if glares can kill, Uchiha Obito will be nothing but a name to be remembered by by now.

"Hey, come on, now," Obito tries to placate him, "maybe she's just too happy that she got accepted so she didn't consider your request wholeheartedly."

"I thought it was obvious," Kakashi mutters sullenly, and Obito just knows that he's pouting under that surgical mask of his, no matter how much Kakashi will deny it.

Rolling his eyes, the Uchiha in the room throws a pencil at Kakashi's head, saying, "you told her to kiss you if you won the bet, not for her to _date_ you."

"But it's a _kiss_."

"Yeah, well, it's a common thing to bet on."

Kakashi blinks. "Really…?"

Obito scoffs, bet on Kakashi and his socially stunted ability not to know about what teenagers bet on these days.

…Thinking like that makes Obito feels old.

Dammit, he's only _15!_

 _"_ Sure," Obito agrees enough, "I've heard bets like that around the place." And in a totally devious tone, he adds, "maybe she already kissed someone else."

The Hatake freezes in place, and with a glare so chilling someone with less caliber than Obito may shiver in fear, he grounds out, "that's not funny."

He shrugs, "eh, probably not."

"It's _not_ ," Kakashi says, totally full blown pouting by now that Obito can't help but to laugh.

"Hey," Obito, the _traitor_ , Kakahi's mind viciously tags him as, "at least she still agreed to kiss you."

And because Obito can't help it, he adds to Kakashi's misery.

"On the _cheek_." And the teen laughs at him.

That's it.

Obito is totally not in his highest rank of favorite things anymore.

He's now in a very low rank, just above fried foods and sweets.

He can't help but to keep on sulking though. He thought he'd been suave and very cool. Like, super smooth and everything. But of course Sakura simply thought (still _thinks_ , even) that he was teasing her when he asked for a _kiss,_ and decided to give him a kiss on the cheek–and it didn't even last for more than a milisecond! Kakashi may be exaggerating right now, but the pain that he feels is _real,_ okay; not only the kiss was on the _cheek_ , it was also so _fast_ Kakashi could pretend it was nothing but a mere brush on his cheek, not an actual kiss!–and he's in _despair_.

It took him producing cold sweat when he hurriedly asked for a kiss in the bet–his hand holding the phone actually _trembled_ , okay, not that he's going to tell Obito that. Rather, the bastard probably knows already–and Kakashi is certain he'll be a bumbling idiot if he tries to do it the traditional way.

Though judging from how utterly oblivious Sakura is–and she's still adorable even if she's like that, but _still–_ he really has to ask her out… directly.

Groaning, the silver haired teen rests his head on his two palms, and near him, Obito chortles.

"Good luck, man."

Kakashi simply whines in response.


	6. Chapter 6

**Warnings** : blatant misuse of plot, Noragami AU where every gods in Noragami are somehow perhaps replaced by Naruto characters, for example, Bishamon is replaced by Obito, and Koufuku is replaced by Tsunade. Also this story does not really follow all of the rules in Noragami, especially regarding the regalia thing. You're welcome.

 **Enjoy reading!**

* * *

She doesn't know how long she's standing there.

Without any single care to the world around her, she stands alone, her white sundress fluttering along with the wind. Her emerald orbs are focused on the cherry blossom petals, mesmerized and spellbound by the tree which stands tall and firm.

The petals are as pink as her hair, she notices distantly. A single fleeting thought of her whereabouts and origins come to mind, but it vanishes soon after, and she is once again left to stare at the tree.

Something about it calls her, something nagging in her mind, something that she wishes to remember but at the same time, wishes not to remember, because there's a voice inside of her head, a pull that moves against her curiosity and wonder, and it tells her not to think, not to remember, not to guess and worry because that is not her place, not anymore, she has no time and place to think about such trivial things anymore.

But what trivial things they are, even she has no slightest idea.

Just as she doesn't seem to realize that it's spring, and that it's supposed to be cold, especially with her sleeveless knee length dress and her bare feet, doesn't know that there are no people noticing her odd behavior even if she's standing in the park in broad daylight.

She doesn't know that there have been people who pass right through her.

How long has she been standing there? She has no idea. But the cherry tree calms her, diverts her attention, and all is right in the world.

Perhaps it takes days, or even months, but after so long of standing there, alone and yet calm under the tree, touching and yet not touching the fluttering petals, someone finally talks to her.

"Hello."

She blinks out of her stupor, looking to her left to see a tall man in a dark suit and navy blue mask, smiling down at her with his eyes. The woman blinks some more, for she doesn't really know what to say.

This is the first time anyone has ever spoken to her.

She doesn't… know what to say.

Luckily, it seems the man is keen to be the one talking, because he bulldozes on before she is even able to muster up a reply.

"My friend has noticed you standing here for quite awhile. Do you like cherry blossoms?"

She blinks, and after a moment of hesitation, inclines her head.

"Hmm, can you speak?" The man asks, though waves his hand when she opens her mouth, "who am I kidding of course you can speak. Anyway—," he chuckles at her scowl, the sound deep and seemingly reverberating in his chest, "I think it is best that you don't lurk around tonight. There is a storm coming."

The woman furrows her eyebrows, then, looking up toward the sky. Unfortunately, it is almost dark out, and she cannot really discern the signs of an upcoming storm. Inwardly she despairs, how is it going to be for her if the storm really does come? Now that she thinks about it, she has no way to go. Where is her home? Is she supposed to have a home? Where is her family?

That thought makes her insides go cold in realization—

Does she even have a family?

Does she—

"That thought is dangerous to dwell on," the man interrupts her thought, looking very serene and calm even as her wide eyed, distressed gaze whips up toward him. There is neither amusement nor pity in his eyes, all that there is an understanding that she cannot truly comprehend by herself.

Then, the man smiles again, eyes crinkling in a way that makes him incredibly attractive despite half of his face being covered as it is.

"If you want to, I can give you a home to reside in."

If it is possible, her eyes widen even further, astonished and hopeful beyond measure, and for the first time in almost forever, she lets out her voice.

"…Really? You will?"

"Sure, why not," the man shrugs, "though there will be duties you will have to do. Call it a… compensation of sorts."

She doesn't let her doubt to show on her face, but from the man's inquiring gaze toward her, she knows she's been found out.

"I don't really… know what to do, though."

"It's fine," he says kindly, and she really can't help but to be comforted. There's something about the man that just seems to pull her in, as if despite his nonchalant posture, there's a huge amount of charisma within him. "You can learn," he continues. "And ah, before you think anything funny, there aren't any funny things happening in my house, save for a few talking dogs and a grumbling tree."

A _what_ now?

The man chuckles at her dumfounded expression, his eyes betraying the amusement he's certainly having with their rather strange conversation.

"My name is Kakashi," her mind reels at the mention of _name_ , but the man—Kakashi—raises his hand and shakes his head, "do not dwell on that thought now," he says, and her earlier bout of panic is quickly forgotten for the sake of his strange words. How does he even know what she's thinking of…?

"For you to reside within my abode, I shall give you a name," Kakashi raises his hand, two fingers pointed on the air and she can only watch, mesmerized, as light comes forth, following the movement of his fingers as he writes. She doesn't even think on how it's strange that he knows she doesn't know her name, but a name is a blessing, and if he's about to give her a name and a home for her to live in, she finds herself unable to refuse.

"I've found you under this beautiful cherry blossom tree. It is just right that your name shall be related to it," he murmurs, hand extended as the writing seems to imprint onto her collarbone—it's a name, _her name,_ she thinks rather hysterically—and at the end, he says firmly, "come, Ouki."

It happens in a flash of light, and when she realizes, she has settled in the man's hand. She is no longer in the form she was before, but she knows that she is still whole, and that a certain missing part in her chest seems to be… filled up somehow.

"A tanto," Kakashi hums, admiring the blade in his hold. There's a flower mark on the blade, and Kakashi smiles to himself. "Perfect. You've been very brave, haven't you?" he mutters absentmindedly, and yet Sakura cannot stop the flush of pride that rushes through her, despite her confusion at his last uttered words.

Kakashi takes her home that day, and through the way home, he explains on who he is—or more precisely, on _what_ he is—what is it that he does, the meaning of her mark and her duty, as well as his.

It takes her more than a few days to really settle in, to really think of herself as a Shinki, a regalia, a _sacred tool_ of the Gods, and furthermore the only Shinki Kakashi has at the moment, to look at the masked man and think that _this_ is the God of Land of Fire's Farm Fields, the one who found her and saved her from a Storm of Phantoms that could have tainted her soul and turned her into a phantom herself.

The one who gave her a _name_.

It saddens her, sometimes, to remember that she has no recollection on who she used to be when she was human, that she couldn't remember the name she used to have. But it doesn't matter, or so Tenzo likes to tell her. For her to be a regalia, that means she has to die first as a human. If she has died before—and it could even have happened _decades_ ago—then surely her old family, whoever they were, have moved on by now.

 _There is no need to dwell in the past that you cannot remember_ , Tenzo will say, _not only it's a dangerous path that will bring forth your downfall as well as your master's. You are now Sakura, aren't you? Kakashi-senpai and I, we are your family now_. _That's what matters most, isn't it?_

And… it's true.

Tenzo, who was born from Kakashi's love and devotion toward the tree a monk had planted, who has scary dead fish eyes and creepy thundering voice when he's mad, is a really kind spirit. Born literally from a huge banyan tree standing right beside Kakashi's temple, offering shade and comfort, the tree spirit's smiles are very nice to look at, and despite not being a regalia, he teaches Sakura of her duty in the temple and offers her help every now and then.

And Kakashi is the kind of owner that Sakura can't imagine replacing for the whole world.

He's calm, composed, and very kind. He patiently taught her when she was struggling with her Boundaries, he takes her on patrols to hunt disturbing Phantoms, and even taught her some songs to ward off evil spirits.

Although he's a pervert—because she's seen his stack of porn books, and isn't it jarring, to see a _God_ reading porn—and very lazy at times, he seems to always know whenever she's conflicted or sad.

 _It's the bond between us_ , Kakashi told her one day, _when I named you, I gave you a part of my life. We are, in a way, connected as one._ He smiled at her, then, tucking a stray hair behind her ear like the romantic sap he secretly is, even when Sakura is nothing but a mere servant.

( _Partner_ , he will demand, whenever he hears her mention herself as such. _You're my partner, not my servant.)_

 _I can feel it,_ the God continued, still looking at her with that soft look she never sees him wear when they're out patrolling the perimeters, _whenever you're sad, angry, or lonely, I can feel it. That's why I will always be able to be there when you need me._

 _I'm sorry,_ she apologized then, feeling somehow worse for herself. _I must have really troubled you with my feelings._

 _There is no need for you to be ashamed for feeling some things, Sakura-chan,_ he assured her, patting her head. _It is entirely normal, and you are no trouble at all, really. You're my regalia. You're my responsibility and I will always be here to help you. Just like how you feel it as an honor to serve me, it is an honor for me to make sure you're safe and well loved._

 _We are each other's' responsibilities,_ he smiled, somehow sounding giddy despite her very nearly crying in front of him at that moment. _It's really exciting, don't you think?_

She nearly bowled him over with her hug.

He is indeed very kind, and very, very warm.

Still, as a mere God of the Farm Fields, he simply adheres to duties containing his job description, which is _farm fields_ and very rarely meddles in Phantom hunt in another areas, though it's mostly because of her. There was one time, when they went out for a hunt and Kakashi nearly got beheaded by a katana, courtesy by the God of War, whom Kakashi calls as _Obito_ , simply for getting into the grumpy God's territory.

Fair to say that Sakura ends up yelling at Kakashi whenever he's about to trespass again during each one of their patrols.

It's just _fair._ She was so scared back then. Her master would die, and even if she knows he'll reform again, simply because there are quite a whole lot of farmers who believe in the silver haired God, it just won't be the same. When a God is born again, the God's previous memories will be gone, which means the new Kakashi will be different from the lanky pervert she knows and she's somehow very _very_ afraid of that.

It's selfish, but she doesn't want to lose him, and even if she has to die in order to prevent him on ever dying, she'll gladly do so. It is both her duty as a regalia and her selfish desire in keeping him alive and well.

Nevermind that Kakashi seems to find it as a hobby to infuriate her now that she's settled in her duties as a regalia, Kakashi is still the one who gave her a name and a home, and that already means the whole world for her.

"You can die! You nearly died back then! Do you wanna die?!" She yells at him through the link they have as Kakashi grips her firmly in her tanto form, as yet again, Kakashi is about to trespass in another one of Obito's territory.

"Maa, Sakura-chan," he sighs dramatically, leaping from one roof to another, "you're such a worrier. It'll be fine, it's just a few meters, Obito won't min—"

" _NO._ "

"But there are no more phantoms in the area," the God whines, and Sakura honestly cannot tell how can a thousand years old God be this childish. She'll ask Tenzo, but from the many times he slams his head on the wall whenever Kakashi does something stupid, she's pretty sure Tenzo has no slightest idea either. "I need my exercise, Sakura-chan, don't you see I've grown a belly?"

"That's your own fault for sleeping all the time when Tenzo-san and I work in the temple," she snaps, knowing that Kakashi is _barely "_ developing a belly". The God always makes it a point to exercise in the morning despite being super lazy and late when it comes to actual work, and she's seen his _muscles_ , okay. Growing a belly, her ass.

"Maa, what is the purpose of servants if not for doing the master's work?" He sing-songs.

Sakura twitches. She has no answer for that. Damn it. "Just… _no_ ," she grounds out in the end, "not his territory. Not for patrol, anyway."

"Then, let's go there to get some takoyaki!" Kakashi seems to brighten, "Aah, I'm starving."

Oh my _God._ She cannot believe this man.

"I thought you said you're growing a belly!"

"Ah, I did, didn't I?" He hums, though by the glint in his eyes he knows that Sakura knows he's not growing a belly and thus has called him out on his bullshit since approximately three minutes ago. "Let's hunt, then."

" _No,_ we're not hunting in this area! Kakashi, why won't you listen to me? What if he attacks you again?"

"Well, you're here to protect me, aren't you?" Kakashi says, all playful and innocent comment, further proven by the smile still visible even though it is covered with his mask, but in the midst of her distress, Sakura doesn't notice, and instead she says—

"What if I _can't_?" She stresses out; despair clear on her tone that it makes Kakashi stops short in his yet another leap toward an unsuspecting person's roof. "I'm just a tanto, and he has both armor and katana. I think I even see a gun hanging on his armor. A _gun,_ Kakashi. He has more regalia than you! What if I cannot protect you? I can't take the risk, Kakashi, I _can't_."

"Sakura…"

"No patrol in his territory, please."

Kakashi sighs. "I understand. But for the record, Sakura-chan, I think you are perfectly capable of handling anything thrown your way."

"You don't know that."

"Of course I do. I named you, and by proxy that means I know everything about you."

Sakura scoffs, though she's feeling lighter than before, she doesn't know if it's because of his agreement, or his praise toward her abilities. "Sure, old man," she ignores Kakashi's indignant squawk of ' _old man?!'_ and continues on, "come on, I bet there are storms brewing in Tsunade-sama's area."

.

.

.

.

 _That's weird_ , Sakura thinks, as she opens yet another door and sees no silver haired man in sight.

 _He usually doesn't go out around this hour,_ she shuffles her feet outside toward the one man who must know where her master went off to, _what is he doing?_

"Tenzo-san?" Sakura approaches the spirit who is sitting comfortably under his very own tree, her fingers twisting against each other nervously, "do you know where Kakashi went off to?"

"Ah," Tenzo blinks, nodding. "I think Tsunade-sama calls him in for a favor."

"A favor?" Sakura says incredulously, furrowing her eyebrows, "From the Goddess of Poverty? But he didn't bring me along."

Which is strange, because as far as she knows, Tsunade-sama has always called for other Gods or Goddesses to freely come into her territory for Phantom hunts, simply because if she uses either Dan or Nawaki, no matter if they are very kind and cute, she will simply cause Phantom Storms rather than slaying them.

"Perhaps it's not the usual one, Sakura," Tenzo assures her. "Don't worry. I'm sure Kakashi-senpai knows what he's doing."

"If you say so…" She acquiesces. She's Kakashi's only regalia, after all. If there is anything he's about to do resembling a phantom hunt, she is sure that Kakashi will come and either take her to do it right away or consult her.

Except that he doesn't, because Kakashi comes home with a new regalia in tow, without even informing Sakura or Tenzo about it beforehand.

"Guys, this is Naruto. He's my new regalia. Make sure you become great friends with him, yes?"

Sakura manages to give out an introduction at least, better than Tenzo who is busy gaping at Kakashi who stares back at him with a straight face. Naruto, the regalia with whisker marks on his face, shuffles nervously before he bellows.

"My name is Naruto! It's nice to meet you, 'ttebayo!"

Sakura's eyes that widen at his sudden shout, soften when Naruto glances nervously between the two other residents in the temple right after his loud declaration, because she knows he must be at least as confused as she used to be, when she had first gotten a name, and lets herself smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Naruto," she says, her gaze focused on Naruto and thoroughly ignoring the inquiring stare she knows is boring into her skull, ignoring the man standing beside the freshly named regalia.

Why the sudden introduction of a new regalia? She doesn't know. And it doesn't matter much, she thinks, because it is very well within Kakashi's rights as a God to name any spirit he wants to have as his sacred tools. It's not what shocks her so; it's not what settles heavily into her chest and makes it hard for her to breathe.

Instead, she cannot fathom as to why he won't tell her of his reasons, even when she asks later that night.

There's a throbbing in her chest that won't go away, when Kakashi dismisses her questions and diverts her attention to something else, when he asks her if she cannot accept Naruto, which she totally can, really, because it will be like having a brother, and she's sure it will be fantastic.

But she just wants to know _why_.

Why so sudden? Why now?

Kakashi doesn't answer her and instead ushers her to her bedroom.

 _Why won't you tell me anything?_

Isn't she his first regalia after a few years going without any? She doesn't know what becomes of his old regalias, but she has been his first after a few years only having Tenzo as a partner and—

And shouldn't it mean something?

There's a throbbing in her chest that won't go away, and desperately, she hopes Kakashi doesn't notice.

.

.

.

Kakashi does notice.

It takes a few days, but when Sakura goes to his room to wake him up does it show her on how much of her internal turmoil has done towards her master.

Kakashi is writhing on the ground, barely heard whimpers coming out of his usually masked lips and the tell-tale of blight appearing on his skin. It's small, and yet, it's a blight nonetheless; the sign of an impure God—or rather, an impure regalia affecting its master.

Her first thought was of Naruto, but Yamato had been and still is hovering around the new regalia; teaching him the rules, normalizing him to the situation, guiding him on how to be a regalia, just like how he did to Sakura years ago.

Yamato will _not_ under any circumstances allow Naruto fall into any sort of thoughts or deeds that can cause blight upon Kakashi.

And thus, the fault rests on her shoulders.

Her and her impure thoughts.

There's pain in her chest, now self-directed, and she has to force herself to touch and hold onto Kakashi— _dirty, filthy, traitor,_ her mind seems to torture her, _you did this, you don't deserve to touch him_ —as she tries to shake him awake.

"Kakashi—" She says in alarm, "Kakashi, wake up."

All he manages is a grunt, and even then the skin behind his neck and his palms are burning, and it is only through her usual quick thinking is that she manages to remember the holy water in the bathroom.

The pink haired regalia turns on the shower, all but dragging the both of them under the water. In her hold, Kakashi hisses, cracking his eyes open with such difficulty as the blight on his skin slowly recedes.

"I'm sorry," she manages to let out, holding onto the God's yukata, "I'm sorry, I caused this. I shouldn't have—I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm _so sorry_ , I'll accept any punishment, I promise. You can—You can—" she chokes on a sob, "You can take my name away."

"What?" Kakashi croaks out, "Don't be silly, Sakura-chan. That name suits you."

"But I caused _this_!" She very nearly screams, because how can Kakashi not get _the point_? "I _sinned_. I made you feel pain. _Regalia_ ," she stresses out, "shouldn't do that."

It takes a few seconds of silence, when the silver haired God simply stares at Sakura, gaze contemplative but not unkind, as the regalia is almost draping herself on top of her master, panting and both soaking wet.

"Well," the God finally starts, "usually Gods take away the regalia's name and banish them for even a slight blight."

Sakura presses her lips together, cheeks burning in shame as tears threaten to pour from her eyes. "I know. Yamato-san told me."

Another contemplative silence, before, "do you want your name to be taken away from you, Sakura-chan?"

The regalia can't help but to draw in a shuddering breath, her grip on the God's yukata tightening as she forces herself to answer, "if you want to release me, I shall accept."

"Mah," Kakashi sits up slowly, the water still descending upon them, "that doesn't really answer my question, Sakura-chan. Do you or do you not want me to release your name?"

"…."

"You can answer me truthfully," he says gently, easing her fingers away from his soaked yukata, "I won't be angry, I promise."

"…I don't want to," she strangles out, and can't help but to add, "It's my name."

Kakashi hums, "it is, isn't it?"

"It's going to be strange if someone calls me with a different name," if there is even another God that will want to bring her in, that is, "but— But if you want to… I…"

"Now, I didn't say I was going to release you," he interrupts, eyes crinkling in a smile when Sakura's head whips up to stare at her master incredulously, "I was asking if that's what _you_ want."

"But—I—You— _Blight_!"

"Ah, yes, the blight. It really hurt. It has been quite a few decades since I last gotten a blight," he hums, "well, it's normal for regalia to cause blights once in awhile. So it's okay."

"But—But I—" She stutters, "If I had continued without knowing, you could have _died_. You could have died and it would be because of _me_ , and—and I won't be able to forgive myself for that, I won't be—"

A warm hand settles on her head, ruffling the wet hair a little bit and successfully silencing Sakura from her ramble.

"It's okay, Sakura-chan," he ruffles her hair again, "I'm still alive, aren't I? And you've repented. All that matters now is that I won't release your name, you don't _want_ your name to be released, so now all we have to do is talk."

"…Talk?" She manages to ask through wobbling lips, because he said _it's okay_ , he said he won't release her, even if she's done such a heavy mistake—

"Yes, talk," he nods, "what started _this_ in the first place? Do you not like Naruto's presence, after all?"

"No," she replies immediately, "Naruto's been nothing but wonderful and helpful. I was just…. Scared."

Kakashi hums, "scared?"

"I… Yes, " she manages to nod, "his appearance was so sudden I thought—I thought that maybe… I'm not that good of a… regalia and you were somehow… disappointed in me?"

Kakashi starts, blinking in surprise. His mouth opens to talk, but barely manages to let out a confused sound as she barrels on.

"I mean—It had been so _long_ and you never hinted of wanting a new regalia so I thought—I thought maybe I wasn't that much useful? Or maybe I've disappointed you in some way or maybe I was too annoying with my nagging so you wanted a new regalia so— _Anyway_ ," she bows her head, "I shouldn't have done that anyway, since it's your right and everything, _I'm so sorry_."

"Sakura," a finger touches her chin, lifting her head in order for her to face him, who is smiling a bit ruefully.

"You're never a disappointment," he says, clearing whatever lingering doubt in her mind, "you have always been a great regalia. You're not useless nor are you annoying. You're a _tanto_ , okay, and don't tell Naruto this, but for me tanto is better than a bazooka any day," he smiles a bit when Sakura giggles, caressing her cheek with his hand. "You're an amazing regalia and you're _my_ regalia. I told you, didn't I? You're my responsibility and I will always be here to help you. It is an honor for me to make you feel safe and well loved. And I do," he pauses, "love you, that is."

At the last sentence, her cheeks burn in something different than shame and the regalia ducks her head to hide the smile slowly stretching on her lips.

"And the thing with Naruto, Tsunade-sama actually asked me to do some… hunting. But I thought coming back and going there would be a hassle and I saw a fresh young soul, so I thought, _eh, why not_ ," he shrugs, "and that's how I got a bazooka as one of my weapons now. I think Obito will be surprised the next time I meet him. Can you believe it? A _bazooka_. And it's _orange_."

Sakura snorts, pushing Kakashi shoulder playfully. "Don't talk about Naruto like that," she admonishes, "and you're _not_ going anywhere near the God of Calamity's area, old man."

"Sure," Kakashi chirps, "whatever my wonderful, beautiful regalia says."

Sakura flushes deep red. "Stop that."

"Stop what, my charming, beautiful, cute, wonderful—" Kakashi laughs as Sakura hits his chest in embarrassment, cutting off his many words of compliments toward his regalia. The God's arms circle around her waist, and he lifts his eyes to look at the shower that is _still_ on.

"Say, Sakura-chan."

"…Hmm?"

"What do you say about taking a shower together?"

* * *

 **Things not included in the story:**

\- Naruto wreaking havoc in the kitchen when he tries to cook for the first time, almost burning the kitchen down and managing to make Yamato cry.

\- Yamato staring down at the koi pond with his dead fish eyes as he contemplates his life choice as the tree spirit thoroughly loyal to the God of Farmfields.

\- Yamato staring at Kakashi having to be dragged by his feet by Sakura just so he will do his share of chores.

\- _Why is this his life, oh my God_

\- Yamato never regretting being loyal to Kakashi anyway.

\- Naruto crying when he eats Sakura's cooking. It's just _that_ good.

\- Kakashi casually commenting on how Sakura's cooking used to be so awful Naruto will probably do something more than cry if he tried it.

\- Sakura slamming her foot down Kakashi's as retaliation for that comment.

\- Kakashi's girly yelp.

\- Kakashi taking both Naruto and Sakura on a patrol and meeting Obito.

\- Naruto turning into a bazooka and almost obliterating Obito.

\- Obito in his realm being like, _but why is the bazooka orange?_ Because of course that is the Most Important Thing Ever.

\- Rin just staring at Obito like, _Obito, master, I love you but you need to tune down your love for orange._

\- Obito's whining vs Rin's sound arguments in the God of Calamity's realm.

\- Rin wins.

\- Tsunade being coddled by Dan and Nawaki and being reminded each day on how even though she's the God of Poverty, she's still very precious and the best thing in Dan and Nawaki's life.

\- Tsunade accidentally causing storms because she just _has_ to use Dan or Nawaki, okay.

\- **Kakashi's actual reason for gaining Naruto.**

\- A God's greatest secret is the regalia's true name when they were still alive, as well as their past, and the request Tsunade bestowed upon him was too close for comfort.

\- It was to help a human whose train of thoughts were inviting Phantoms, and if it was let be, the human would die.

\- The human's name is Yamanaka Ino, and Kakashi _knows_ her, not because Kakashi is a stalker, but more because he has Sakura's old memories.

\- Yamanaka Ino has photos of Sakura—or rather, of _Haru_ —in her room and it would prove to be disastrous if Sakura sees it and becomes _curious_. If worse becomes worse, she'll be interested in knowing about her past and she'll turn into a _Phantom_ and he will have to _kill_ her if that happens.

\- Kakashi will gut himself before that ever happens, thank you very much.

\- And so, he takes the nearest soul he can find.

\- It's a bonus that Naruto is such a cute kid.

\- Loud, but still cute.

\- Though Kakashi can't help but to think on how it must be ridiculous to see him holding an _orange_ bazooka out of all things.

\- Also, they did end up showering together.

\- By the middle of it, it was not showering anymore.


	7. Chapter 7

**Assassin!AU**

 **Warning:** nudity

the author did lots of flailing and internal screaming for this one. she's a prude.

* * *

"Your skills are slipping, I could hear your approach a mile away," is the greeting that comes at her the very moment she steps a foot in the dingy apartment. So of course, being unable to help it, she scoffs. With the training she does daily, the very notion of her skills, _slipping,_ is unbelievable.

"When I want to kill you, you won't," is therefore her eloquent reply as she puts her hands on her waist, close enough to the gun holsters on each side of her hips. Her green eyes are blazing, bearing enough annoyance and challenge to _deny_ her words.

The man in front of her doesn't reply for quite awhile, busy arranging the assortment of knives on a long wooden table, though Sakura does not miss the way his lips seem to curl upwards at the mere sign of her annoyance, thanks to his absent mask.

"You know," Kakashi seems to say much later, finally glancing at her, grey eyes relaxed as he takes in her form, the black jacket especially wet and still dripping water on the floor. "You reek of blood."

"And I recon that's how you figured out I was coming near," she deadpans, hands dropping from their hold on her waist and leisurely making her way to the desk to pick up a mug filled with coffee, half full and still warm enough it helps.

"Mah," he smiles, his eyes crinkling in that familiar infuriating way, "did you bathe in a virgin's blood today? You're soaked."

She rolls her eyes. "Gatou tried to pit me against Zabuza," she mutters, taking in some large gulps of coffee. The pink haired woman plops down on his lap, the both of them currently ignoring her soaked attire. "I don't think the old fart was a virgin."

"Really, now," he leans back on his seat. "Gatou or Zabuza?"

"Gatou, _obviously_ ," she hisses in warning when Kakashi tries to take the mug away from her, moving her hand away from his approaching hand. "I know for certain Zabuza isn't. You _know_ that."

"Oh?" There's a fake cheerfulness in his tone, and Sakura has to restrain an urge to roll her eyes. Overprotective boyfriends, really. "I seem to have forgotten. Do tell me, Sakura-chan."

"Overlapping Mission. July 17th. New York. You've tried to butcher him before, Kakashi, you must not try it again simply because I accidentally met him again." She sends him a warning look when he opens his mouth. She finally thrusts the mug into his hand, happily empty, successfully making the male assassin pout at the disappearance of his coffee. "Besides, it was just one night. And more because of circumstances than anything."

He grumbles, "and yet you never quite seem to forget it like your other past mission endeavours."

"What can I say," she smirks, "he was a good lay."

He narrows his eyes, an arm suspiciously circling around her waist, protective.

"We weren't dating at that time," she pokes his mole, "chill."

"I am very chill," is his quick reply, though he's also busying himself in pulling the jacket's zipper down.

"Uh-huh," she sing-songs, throwing the jacket away to the corner the very moment it's off, Kakashi's hands already lifting up her shirt while she does so.

"I'm the very definition of the chilliest chilly person you could ever find in this chilly world filled with chilly people." Somewhere in the middle of his sentence, her bra goes off.

She laughs, though it dissolves into a moan soon after. His fingers brush over her nipples, the man's teeth grazing her shoulder.

"Kakashi…"

"You're soaked," he says between kisses on her collarbone.

She lets out a breathless chuckle, hands tightening on his hair. "You've said that already."

"Mm," he lifts his head to give Sakura lots of kisses, short pecks that do nothing but make the both of them eager for more, "I did, didn't I?"

"You did," she sighs into the kiss, "Mm-hmm."

"You can get sick, so," a tug on her weapon holster as Kakashi's lips brush over her jaw, "it's time to undress."

"You're just pissed I brought up the New York topic again."

"What can I say," he huffs, smiling, "I'm fairly competitive."


	8. Chapter 8

His arm has always been clean.

Even when he's reached the age of seventeen, eighteen, nineteen and so on, it's still clean.

Living in the world of shinobi, where conflicts happen almost daily, where every second can be any person's last breath, it's sometimes jarring to see a shinobi's arm being clean.

His soulmate has never killed anyone, and he wonders if his soulmate is a civilian. That will certainly explain things, though he also thinks that it must be awkward, for his soulmate, because for all he knows he's killed a whole lot of people, and what he knows of civilians is that they are somehow repulsed at the idea of taking somebody else's life—they can just use shinobi as tools to do so, after all—therefore he thinks they must be somehow repulsed as well for knowing that their soulmate is a killer.

He kind of feels bad, but then he can't imagine a life without being a shinobi, and he's fine in continuing his duties, his soulmate's opinion be damned.

If they cannot accept his occupation, then they're not 'meant to be' after all anyway.

* * *

When Sakura is born, there are tallies on her wrists; tallies that seem to always grow in numbers whenever her parents do so much as to look away. It's horrifying to see, for both of her parents are mere merchants, to see tallies upon tallies on their beloved daughter's wrists, expanding ever so slowly to her lower arms.

It's either her soulmate is a mass murderer or a shinobi.

In the end it doesn't matter, because shinobi _are_ mass murderers.

It terrifies her mother, certainly, because why must her daughter's soulmate be a ninja? The woman doesn't know the average kill count shinobi has, but in this world where the only indicator of one's soulmate are the tallies in their arms in which it shows how much people their soulmate has murdered, it is very rare for people to find their soulmates.

Even Sakura's mother, who used to be a genin, has ten tallies on her wrists, and her husband none when she's killed people in the past beforehand.

It's rare for soulmates to be able to _meet_.

All the soulmates ever do is _tainting_ their arms with _sins_ , with _blood_ as red as the tallies on their arms.

And Sakura's arms are filled with them.

Dozens and dozens of sins, all done by a single person.

* * *

Sakura knows she probably will never meet her soulmate, and the tallies in her arms are not the reason she wants to become a shinobi, really. She wants to be brave, to be courageous and kind like the kunoichi next door.

(And if she ends up killing somebody, it can't be helped.

It certainly can be a nice revenge against her soulmate, whose little red tallies has reached her elbow by now.)

She's not as unlucky—or lucky, depends on how people see it—as Uchiha Sasuke, whose hands had been filled with dozens of tallies only to fill up with _almost a hundred_ of new tallies the very moment the Uchiha Massacre occurred.

(All the while, the traitor's arms must have been _empty_.)

She never bothers to cover her tallies like Sasuke does, as if it's something to be ashamed of. Because she doesn't know her soulmate and nobody can know either, it doesn't matter for her if people sees her arms and think _mass murderer._

Her soulmate must be a ninja, a _damn good one_ , considering how much people they are able to _kill_ and still be alive even until now, considering how there's another small tally showing up last week.

It doesn't matter.

If anything, she hopes she can be as strong as her soulmate.

(Though perhaps she'll tune down the mass murdering a little bit.

Can't have her mother throwing up at the thought of her daughter becoming like _that_ , after all.)

* * *

The very first time he sees his new genin team, Kakashi almost balks at the sight of red on the little kunoichi.

Not only she has pink hair and red qipao, but her arms are literally filled with _red_. So many red tallies, the soulmark already reaching toward her upper arms.

( _Is her soulmate an ANBU?_ )

He's expected Uchiha Sasuke's arms, although bandaged; he _knows_ to expect hundreds of tallies over there. He doesn't know about Naruto's, considering from the time he's guarded him as his ANBU guard, his arms have always been empty of tallies.

The girl—Haruno Sakura—takes in his gaze over her arms and scowls, as if daring him to comment about it.

And, well, he's a shinobi, so he simply hums, and orders them to go to the rooftop.

* * *

The mission to Wave has been a disaster.

Haku, the one Naruto called as 'pretty big sister but actually not a girl', died because of him, from protecting Momochi Zabuza. Zabuza himself died soon after, right after he killed Gatou and the assassins the fat idiot hired.

Sasuke has almost died, if not for the precision and mercy Haku seemed to have.

Naruto unleashed a small tendril of the Kyuubi's chakra, all because of the fury over Sasuke's "death".

And Sakura—

Sakura just killed a person.

A foolish samurai that tried to attack the bridge builder instead of the Demon of the Mist, and Sakura did what she had to do: fighting back.

Still, first kill is bound to be hard on anybody, no matter if it's a shinobi or not.

It takes quite awhile for him to have Sakura's tally-littered arms to stop shaking, but it gets resolved soon enough and the kids are sleeping after they got themselves cleaned up.

(He'll have to take them to Psych Eval, especially Sakura, but—

But he believes they can manage. That they can endure.

He believes in them.)

Sighing, the Copy Nin takes off his vest and shirt, right after tugging his headband off. He's covered in sweat and grime, as well as blood, which is normal considering his days in ANBU, but he's been given fresh, cold and clean water for him to shower in and like hell he's going to pass it up.

Reaching over to take off his right glove, Kakashi pauses at the red line on his wrist.

That's…. not a scar.

He rubs at it, eyebrows furrowed.

It doesn't fade, and it doesn't smell like ink. It's as if—

It's a _tally_.

A tally that didn't exist _this morning_.

A tally that means his _soulmate_ has recently killed a person.

After all these times, and his soulmate _just_ killed a person? When he's _twenty-six_?

Kakashi stops short.

…Recently killed—

( _"Sakura," gloved hands grabbing onto shaking ones, giving her reassuring squeezes while his lone eye scrutinizes the girl's wavering green hues, "Sakura, calm down."_

 _Sakura takes in a shuddering breath, nodding through her haze._

 _Beside her feet, the body of a samurai stays still.)_


	9. Chapter 9

If there is something that Kakashi has promised himself to always do is that he will never leave behind his comrades, his precious people.

Ever since Obito's 'death', he has taken Obito's wisdom to his own, and makes it like an oath, a way of living.

However perhaps it doesn't always stand true, because for all of his greatness, his genius and his strength-

He's still a human.

( _And humans die_ ).

* * *

When Kakashi comes to, it's not the sight of the hospital's familiar white walls that greets him, not the sound of chirping birds, nor is it the voice of his lover.

He sees white, he sees blue, he sees everything and nothing.

It doesn't take long for him to realize, to comprehend and _accept_ , to look down at his gloved hands that should've been covered with the blood of his enemies, to think that-

 _Ah._

 _I finally died._

For someone who's taken Obito's words about comrades into account, it certainly is quite pleasing to know that he died protecting his precious people.

He's not entirely angry about it, not really. Everyone dies and it is a fact that he knows and accepts. But perhaps he is sad, because when he thinks back, he still has so many things he wants to do, so many things he wants to accomplish, so many things he wants to say.

She must be devastated, he thinks. Devastated and angry.

He certainly hopes she's not blaming herself, truly, because it wasn't her fault and it will never be.

Hopes that she will not become the angry, grieving shell he had been when he lost Obito, Rin and Minato-sensei.

(But she won't, he knows, because she has always been strong, _stronger_ than him in many ways possible, because she still has Naruto, and Sasuke, and Ino and many others-

She's going to be _okay_.)

He hopes that-

She will not forget about him.

He hopes that-

She will be happy.

He's sorry for leaving her so suddenly.

He's truly sorry.

* * *

He remembers the time when he sees his father, waiting for him instead of moving on to the afterlife. Remembers the anguish and guilt and unmistakable _joy_ for being able to see him again, to see his father once again and tell him, truly and truthfully, that he's proud of his father.

He wonders if that's how Sakura feels, when she finally comes, her pink hair now replaced by grey, the previously smooth and tender skin old and wrinkly, her voice raspy as she whispers-

"Kakashi?"

Kakashi smiles.

"Sakura, baby."

He reaches out, catching hold of Sakura's smaller hands, looking at her green eyes that are still bright as ever, as lovely as ever, glassy with tears not yet fallen.

Unable to help it, he laughs, happy and _free_ , his right hand reaching upward to caress Sakura's cheek, his smile as wide as it can be as he watches her lean into his touch and he misses this.

He misses _her_.

"I have been waiting for you," he whispers, wiping the one tear that manages to fall with his thumb, a reminiscence to that time during the Fourth War, "Have you been waiting for me, too?"

Sakura seems to snort between her tears, "If you think that I haven't waited for you, then you are mistaken." It is her hands' turn to reach out, cupping Kakashi's cheeks. She sighs.

"I have never forgotten how you look like, but perhaps I have slowly forgotten your voice."

Kakashi smiles, dipping low to whisper on her ear, "well, you can remember it again, now."

"Tell me, Sakura," he says, slowly, "what have you been up to?"

She raises her eyebrow, "do you really want to know? Whole one hundred and one years of it?"

"Please," his eyes crinkles as he smiles, tugging Sakura to sit near him. "I've waited for you, it's only logical that I would like to catch up for everything I've lost."

* * *

"You were a Hokage," Kakashi almost laughs, thinking of the many things that Sakura has told him, from her taking the seat of Hokage as Tsunade's apprentice, to her giving the position to Naruto- _tired of the paperwork and sitting all day_ , is her excuse-and becoming the crazy (and crazy strong) aunt for her comrades' children, for their children's children and their children's children's children.

"Elder Council, too," she sighs rather wistfully, "I understand now why the Elders are always grumpy. Young people, idiots, the lots of them. Who the hell thinks it's okay to take away the mandatory medic rule? When they all get hurt, they're crying for medics."

Kakashi laughs, then, because of course, _of course_ Sakura is suited to be Hokage, of course Sakura is still strong and respected, even in her later days.

No matter how old, Sakura is Sakura, after all.

"You have always managed to astound me," he says, his hand intertwined with Sakura's own warm one, "I wish I could've seen it. You would've been such a beautiful sight to see."

"Don't patronize me," she says, though some of her humor still lingers. "I'm old and wrinkly, I'm not as beautiful as I had been when you died."

"Don't be silly," it's his turn to say, frowning a little bit. "Your hair may be not pink or your skin may not be smooth as it once was, but you're still beautiful for me."

He tucks her hair behind her ear, smiling. "You have always been beautiful for me, Sakura. Beautiful and strong and kind, you're everything for me."

Sakura laughs. "Sap," she says, but the happiness in her eyes is genuine for him to see.

"Only for you, my love."

* * *

When they finally decide to go to the Afterlife, her form turns into what she looked like during her prime, and she says-

"Well. I guess I'm back to being pretty now."

"I don't know, Sakura-chan," he says, a teasing tilt in his tone, "I don't see any changes from a few minutes ago. I bet if I look closely, I can find a grey hai- _oof_!"

Sakura punches his stomach, laughing.

"Idiot."

"I'm your idiot."

"Unfortunately."

* * *

("I love you, Sakura."

"And I, you.")


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary: "It's okay," she whispers softly, her cold fingers brushing against the back of his hand. "I'll be here when you wake up."**

* * *

She comes in the middle of the night.

A guest that is not invited.

A guest that he does not expect to see.

"What the hell?" Her voice breaks the atmosphere in the room.

Of course her first words when she visits will be something like that, he thinks.

If Kakashi doesn't feel as tired as he is, perhaps the disbelief and amusement will cause him to either cry out or scoff. Nevertheless, the only thing he can manage to let happen is a small, bitter smile.

Sakura is here, he thinks.

It's unbelievable, but she's here.

"Your apartment is messy," she complains, "Kakashi, it wasn't like this the last time I visited," she says flippantly, ignoring how the time she last visited was months ago. Anything could happen around that time, and something _did_ happen. She ignores that and easily scolds him for his mistakes done in a bout of rage and grief, clicking her tongue. "Wasn't that drawer _expensive_? Kakashi, it's all in pieces now!"

She toes around the room, avoiding the sharp shards of broken glass on the floor, which will probably make him laugh if he's in a better mood.

Sakura frowns, her eyes sweeping around the room, taking in all of the cluttered stuffs, the broken dresser, wardrobe, the clothes strewn about around the room, before finally settling on his form, a lone man lying on the bed, his mask and hitai ate absent.

Her eyes soften, then, a sad glint seeping in her green hues that he loves to gaze at so much, and she steps toward him, silently kneeling beside the bed to reach out and touch his cheek.

The touch is not how he expects it.

It's cold.

Her finger is cold.

* * *

 _It's cold._

 _The sun is glaring down right at him, but he feels nothing but coldness in his very being. He doesn't register the sweat trailing down his forehead, the welling up tears that want and yet refuse to pour out from his now complete set of eyes. No more sharingan, just his actual eyes that Naruto magically returned during the war._

 _He wonders, still; if Madara never took Obito's eye away, if he still had the sharingan, would he be able to stop it? Stop what had happened… Stop what had crushed him so?_

 _Sasuke had been quick—but he was known for his speed as well, he's sure that he could manage—and his sharingan as well as rinnegan are crazily strong as well._

 _He thinks if he had known, if he had been quicker, he would've moved her aside, or even traded places with her. He would gladly do so._

 _"It wasn't her time", his mind cries out, "it shouldn't have."_

 _And perhaps it wasn't meant to be her time just yet, because when it was revealed to Sasuke—the traitor, the_ wench _—he looked so shocked, so regretful that Kakashi almost, almost laughed bitterly right at the Uchiha's face._

 _He felt rage, the hot fury building up inside of him, only to get colder and colder as soon as Sasuke got whisked away to T &I, as soon as the reality of it completely seeped in._

 _Now, he only feels cold._

 _It feels strange, too, to stand beside Naruto, Sai and Yamato, where they unconsciously leave a spot empty for a person to fit right in, for_ Sakura _to stand there and complete their team._

 _(He's unwilling to place Sasuke in his team; he has given up right at the moment Sasuke declared his intent to kill all the Five Kages, right when Sasuke put Sakura in that goddamned_ fucking _genjutsu)._

 _He clenches his fists, grasping onto his mofuku, trying to put his frustrations away._

 _In front of him, the gravestone seems to look back at him, mocking him for his new mistake._

 _Another person he couldn't protect._

 _Another person who died._

* * *

"Hey," Sakura whispers, a mere ghost in the wind, whom nobody can see nor hear, whom nobody can touch. Nobody but him.

Her touch is cold, and Kakashi is reminded on how it used to be warm.

Of course it's cold. She's dead. Dead people do not emit warmth.

Arguably, dead people do not talk and touch a living person either. But this world has always been a little bit strange, just like how it's strange that Sakura is his soulmate out of all people, just like how the universe seems to love to torture him for some reason, just like how despite his grief he's glad he can still see Sakura somehow.

Even though she's dead.

 _Even though she's dead._

Tears finally well up from his eyes, and a choked sob leaves his lips. Sakura looks alarmed for a few seconds, her hand twitching away from his cheek. But Kakashi is afraid—afraid that she'll leave, that she'll be gone somehow, that her being his soulmate is fake and that this is a _dream_ given by the world to torture him even more—and thus he reaches out to hold on Sakura's own, grasping it tightly with his trembling hand, unwilling to let go.

The pink haired woman looks at him, bewildered and undeniably sad, but she twists her hand just so that they're holding onto each other, giving his hand a squeeze like a reassurance.

"Hey," she says again. "Are you okay?"

Kakashi chuckles through another sob.

"No," he says, undeniably honest.

"I'll tell you to clean up your room," she says softly, "but that can come tomorrow."

Her other hand reaches out, fluffing his hair while she smiles at him.

She shouldn't be smiling at him. He failed to protect her, he let her _die_ because he wasn't fast enough. She shouldn't be looking at him like that; so sad and yet understanding, so kind and warm despite the coldness of her fingers around his.

She shouldn't be—

"You shouldn't be dead," he whispers hoarsely, "you're the next generation of the Sannin, you should've been _alive_."

Sakura stays silent, running her fingers through his hair.

"I should've—If Sasuke hadn't— If only I was fast enough…"

She stops her combing through his hair, and says, "You couldn't have stopped it even if you tried."

The words are blunt and sharp, and Kakashi almost recoils from her, from how she easily says it, easily tells him on how _powerless_ he was by the time it happened.

She looks at him, stern and determined, easily reminding him of the fierce girl in the battlefield, easily punting enemies through mountains and destroying the ground with a mere tap of her fist.

Easily reminding him on how much he treasures her.

Her and her passion, her strengths and weaknesses, her hardwork—

Her everything.

"What happened there was on Sasuke-kun," she says, " _All of them_. Don't you dare blame yourself for this, because I can touch you, Kakashi, and if you continue on blaming yourself for the one thing you are _not_ responsible for, I'll make sure to strangle you in your sleep."

Kakashi cannot help but to laugh, laugh between his tears, because _of course_ Sakura manages to threaten him against his self-destructive tendencies even in death, it's such a Sakura-thing to do that he just laughs.

"And besides," she continues, "I'm still here, aren't I?"

As if to prove her point, she squeezes his hand reassuringly once again, her other hand returning its lazy combing of his silver hair.

"It's late," she says, "You should go to sleep."

Kakashi whimpers, because he doesn't want to sleep, not yet. He still wants to look at her, to remind himself that this is real, that _she's still here,_ with him even in her death, to hold her hand and never let it go, to enjoy the cold fingers combing through his hair.

To remain here, with her.

Sakura seems to know what he's thinking, for she smiles thinly, the sadness still lingering somewhere in her eyes.

"It's okay," she whispers softly, her cold fingers brushing against the back of his hand. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"…Promise?" Kakashi breathes out.

"I promise," she answers firmly. "Don't worry. I'll always be here."

A lone tear makes its way down his cheek,

And he smiles, small yet peaceful somehow.

"Okay."

* * *

 **Or, that soulmate!AU where the ghost of your soulmate lingers with you until you die.**

 **In this AU, Kakashi dies of old age. Naruto and his children, Yamato's and Sai's as well, are around him.**

 **A spot was left empty near his bed, where Sakura's ghost stays and holds his hand the moment he releases his final breath.**


	11. Chapter 11

It happened during an interview, for a job behind the desk that he doesn't really want. He had been talking about his dreams for the future when he let out a loud _"FUCK!"_ to the interviewer's face.

He had been too occupied with the pain flaring on his knuckles for a few seconds, clutching his wrist while hissing lowly before he managed to notice the utterly scandalized look on the interviewer's face.

And then he remembered that before the curse, he had been saying something along the lines of _"I want to_ ".

Hatake Kakashi closed his eyes.

 _Well,_ he thought then, _there goes my interview for this job._

* * *

Perhaps he should count himself lucky, because the next interview he's going to attend is for the job he _truly_ does want. It still sucks though, in his opinion at least, to have his soulmate somehow injuring themselves when he was talking during an interview.

And such a pain that was! Usually the pain he received from his soulmates are mere pinches or random cuts or bruises in a bout of clumsiness his soulmate probably experienced. The flaring pain on his knuckles though, it was new. It's been five minutes and he can still feel the phantom pain on his knuckles.

Feeling the urge to wash his hands on cold water, he makes his way to a nearby café. Fortunately, the barista gives him access to the toilet near the kitchens. There is only one stall, and he nearly slams into a pink haired woman that stumbles out of the toilet.

The pink haired woman looks as startled as he is, letting out an apology for almost crashing onto him. And because she looks totally lovely—that shade of green totally works well with that shade of pink her hair has. Is it natural like his silver hair? Kakashi finds himself intrigued—he accepts her apology with a nod and a smile that is definitely visible, considering he's chosen to forgo his mask today in.

The woman blushes slightly, looking rather bashful and ten times cuter than she was previously. Though then she seems to register his presence in front of the stall and the implication of it, since her eyes widen and she steps away, looking rather embarrassed.

"Oh, uh, here. Sorry about the wall," she says, stepping back out to the café.

Kakashi blinks. The wall? What's wrong with the wall? Did she vandalize it? Seems pretty irresponsible, if that's the case. The man steps into the stall, his eyes immediately roaming the wall only to find knuckle-shaped dent on the wall.

He stares dumbly at the wall.

Is that—Why is—Did she _do that_?! Holy shit, that's almost a hole on the wall! She did it?! With her bare hands?!

Her bare—

His mind races back to the painful feeling on his knuckles during the interview, and his jaw drops.

"Oh," is all he manages to whisper out.

 _Is she—?_

Forgetting the need to dip his hands in cold water, the man turns around and makes his way out of the backroom like his ass is on fire. He ignores the startled yelp the blond barista with whiskered cheeks emits, sharp eyes scrutinizing through the small crowd in the café and—

There!

Holding a to-go paper cup, the pink haired woman is staring back at him. She lets out a startled "eh?!" when she notices that he's making his way towards her, her expression almost comical.

"The dent on the wall," he says to her, finding some amusement at the sight of her paling a little bit at his words, "is that because of you?"

"S-So what?" Is her defensive response.

"You punched a wall?" He can't help but smile a little bit, his amusement showing through. It's also a bit exhilarating, because _damn,_ she punched a wall and created a _dent_ on the wall. With her bare hands.

If she's what he thinks she is, he's going to spar with her as a first date.

"What's it to you?" She says, then, crossing her arms, "I know the owner of this place so it doesn't matter. And it's not like I punched the toilet seat."

"Ah, that's the case, really," he says calmly, "Around five minutes ago, during a job interview, I cursed in front of my interviewer because my knuckles decided it was time to be in pain. Felt a whole like I just punched a _wall,_ really."

Her jaw drops, the implication not escaping her.

"So, what do you feel?" Kakashi chirps. Before she can even manage to answer, he pinches his own thigh and _twists_.

The woman curses, palm covering her thigh.

"Mah," Kakashi smiles, "hello there, soulmate. The name's Hatake Kakashi."

The pink haired woman—his _soulmate_ —gives him the stink eye, mouth twisting into almost a snarl as she pinches the inside of her thigh, _hard_.

Kakashi jolts a little bit at the pain.

"Hello, soulmate," his soulmate's smile is totally blinding and definitely evil. "The name's Haruno Sakura. I hope you like _pain_."

Oh.

 _Oh._

With a crooked grin, Kakashi chuckles.

He _definitely_ can get behind this one.


	12. Chapter 12

_"I love you."_

 _What a pure sounding lie._

He first saw her sitting in the corner of the bar, her eyes gleaming in quiet amusement and resignation as she watched her best friend, the Yamanaka, danced and laughed with other people in the bar.

He himself was invited by his colleagues and dragged here by a persistent Anko (he had learned not to challenge Anko when she was determined to do something; and in this case she was determined he, The Hokage, got some 'day off' and have fun with them at the famous bar for shinobi). He did not expect to see his students and their friends here, but perhaps he should've. They were, after all, adults now. They were now reaching almost the age of twenty, and while that made him feel old, he still could feel the pride rushing through his bones whenever he saw them grow up and be _successful_.

Still, it was surprising for him to see her sitting alone, especially when her best friend seemed to be having so much fun on the floor (and was she flirting with _Genma_? His eyebrow rose in question, finding the sight rather intriguing. Genma was flirting _back_ ). Even Naruto seemed to have much fun in another crowded table, his arms waving around excitedly as he woven tales and whatnot to his friends.

Everyone was having fun here. They laughed, danced, flirted (Kakashi was ready with a polite smile and crab-walking to escape from men and women alike who tried to do so to him), or be like him, who sat alone and drunk his drinks alone.

And, well, there was Sakura too.

She could be put in the same category as him, he supposed. She did seem to have fun watching as Ino flounced and bounced around Genma, who laughed and smiled at her. Kakashi had to resist a smirk as well. Those two were obvious with their interests toward each other.

Not only Ino and Genma, other shinobi were seemingly trying to find matches of their own, and considering how it was peace time, and that Konoha had lost a generous amount of personnel during the war, Kakashi had no qualms against another baby boom. He hoped he had more patience dealing with it than Tsunade, though. The previous Hokage _did_ talk to him after his inauguration and warned him of the possibilities of lots, and lots, _and lots_ , of marriages.

And considering the relation between the Hidden Villages, there might be inter-village marriages happening soon. He had already seen the looks given by Suna's most reliable delegate, Temari, to Shikamaru and vice versa.

...Man... He had to make laws about that. It must be as detailed as possible and covered _everything_ , to ensure despite the relation between villages, there would be no room where one village will be above the other.

His eyebrow twitched. Look at him. He was supposed to be relaxing here and yet his mind already drifted off to work. Kakashi sighed, and sipped on his drink, his eyes easily finding Sakura's form again. She seemed to have not noticed his presence, sipping her own drink bits by bits as she watched things unfold in front of her.

It made him think. The sight of his female student, that was, even though he couldn't _really_ call her as his student anymore. She had long surpassed him in skills, what with her chakra control, the seal on her forehead and her terrifying super strength. They had different repertoires when it came to skills, but Kakashi would be willing to say that Sakura had grown beautifully in terms of strength and skills.

 _And well_ , he conceded, _in terms of looks, as well_.

He hadn't really taught her _anything_ aside from the importance of teamwork. Even the tree climbing was more of a demonstration that Sakura nearly perfected by herself. Aside from his former position as Team Seven's sensei, he hadn't _really_ been a teacher for her.

(Sometimes he'd think that he should've taken him under his wings after the retrieval mission that failed).

(But then, he thought, rather viciously to himself, that if he failed so badly with Sasuke, who said that he wouldn't with her, too?).

(He was quick to dismiss her potential, anyway).

(She was lucky she demanded Tsunade to teach her instead of looking for him to teach her after her teammates went off to learn under their own versions of Sannin).

(He didn't deserve such position).

And, well, considering that Sakura had grown up into a woman who easily threw sarcasm and the occasional salt at him, the sentiment was shared. He was _not_ his teacher other than the position.

While that position had been discarded after Naruto's return to Konoha, it was strengthened during the war.

 _"Call me Kakashi," he said to her easily despite his exhaustion after the latest battle._

 _"Excuse me, what?"_

 _"I'm not your sensei anymore, Sakura-chan," he eye-smiled at her. "We're equals now."_

 _"You're my squad's captain," she answered, rather exasperatedly. He almost pouted, if not for her rolling her eyes and rather fond smile as she said, "but sure, Kakashi."_

 _He smiled._

 _"Now let me look at your shoulders. Don't think that I didn't notice you stiffening,_ Kakashi _."_

 _His smile fell away._

 _Meanie._

Since then onward, he wasn't _sensei_ for her anymore. He was just _Kakashi_ to her, though she did throw in the occasional "Hokage-sama" accompanied with wiggles of eyebrows whenever she wanted to tease him. She _did_ know his dislike toward those overly polite stuff.

Kakashi-sama this, Kakashi-sama that. Hokage-sama, Hokage-dono, _blah, blah_.

Sighing once again to his drink, Kakashi had to marvel at his ability to let his thoughts run amok in this noisy and crowded bar (either thanks to how many people were invited or Naruto's charm, considering how his table was _very_ crowded. The Hyuuga heiress was seen squeaking as the crowd pressed closer to Naruto and she was forced to press herself on Naruto's left arm, her face aflame. Naruto didn't seem to mind, though, as he smiled at her. _Ah, youth_ , he let himself thought of that for a moment before he shook himself out of fear of sounding both old and similar to Gai).

He wondered if he should talk to Sakura.

She was, after all, sitting there by her lone self despite her friends chatting and dancing. And he was in the exact same position. He had literally nothing to do.

Might as well, he thought, raising to his feet and making his way toward her, taking his drink along with him.

Not even that close to her position, she seemed to already notice his presence and looked his way, green eyes widening the slightest bit. Her cheeks seemed to be rather pink, but otherwise she looked sober and fine.

 _Definitely fine_ , he thought, looking over her outfit. It was quite similar to her usual outfit, although this qipao seemed to fit on her body even more than her usual ones, the dress teasingly showing him her smooth thighs.

 _Thighs that could crush your skull with a hard enough squeeze,_ he tried to remind himself, fighting the urge to rest his eyes on that exposed skin.

 _That's such a nice way to die, though... Agh, h_ e cursed, _dammit. Snap out of it, Kakashi._

"Kakashi!" Her voice was like bells in his ears, the grown woman smiling softly at him. "I didn't notice you were invited too."

"Well, now you know I'm capable of cowering in the corner so people don't notice me," he says, eyes crinkling into a smile. Sakura snorted to her glass, somehow still sounding very attractive despite it.

Perhaps he was biased. He was, after all, in love with Sakura. He didn't know when or where the seeds had planted themselves, but a few months after the war, he realized. He loved her. Not only because she had grown into a beautiful woman (because who said Sakura wasn't beautiful must be _blind_. He almost blinded himself during the war and he could still say with absolute clarity that Sakura was _beautiful),_ but he also loved her passion in her career, her determination, her fierce look, how she was so open with her expressions and emotions, and many other things he could've written down and made into a bible.

 _A tome_ , he thought wryly. _Imagine one hundred years in the future and the artifact they found ended up being the Sixth Hokage's writing about how hopelessly in love he was._

"Can I sit with you?" He asked her, then, expression lighting up in delight when she easily scooted over, patting the spot beside her. He made himself comfortable beside her, not too far to be awkward and not too close to be _more_ awkward. "So, what are you doing here alone?"

Sakura pointed at Ino. "I'm with her."

"I know that," he said, "but you're here. _Alone._ "

"So I'm talking to a ghost?" She raised her eyebrow, and Kakashi deadpanned at her, making Sakura laugh.

They bantered more through the night, and Kakashi wasn't exactly sure of the time they spent talking together nor the amount of drinks they consumed. Kakashi wasn't exactly drinking much, but Sakura was a fast drinker, another thing that probably she learned from Tsunade. Whenever she ran out of alcohol, she'd ask another one, sometimes with different types to add to the variety. If she wasn't a skilled medic, he'd be worried about alcohol poisoning.

They talked while they drunk. About Naruto, his occupation as the Hokage, her rounds in the hospital, about Ino, about Genma and Ino and many other things they could find as an interesting enough topic to talk about.

It was fun. It was refreshing. And to talk with her and laugh along with her, Kakashi couldn't help but think of thanking Anko for her persistence in dragging him to the bar tonight.

It was well within the night, when some people had found it a nice hour to scatter home, that Sakura looked drunk enough.

She was about to ask for another drink when he grabbed her wrist, a firm command of: "That's enough."

"Huh?" She hiccuped.

"You've drunk enough," he clarified, releasing her hand so it fell on her thigh. "See, your face is red already."

"It's not red," she puffed her cheeks, and Kakashi had to resist the urge to either poke her cheek with his finger or call her a chipmunk. Both seemed quite suicidal for him.

"Yes, it is." He snuck a glance toward the other people in the room. Naruto seemed to be busy with Hinata and Kiba, who looked ready to murder, for reasons unknown to him, being restrained physically by Shino. Sai was in the corner, drawing on his sketchbook with Tenzou by his side. Ino herself seemed to be busy, already sitting somewhere else with Genma, possibly laughing at something Kotetsu said.

"Do you want to go home?" He asked her, "it's already late, and there's nothing left to do."

"Nothing left to do?" She pouted, a small hiccup leaving her lips, "I have _loooots_ of things I wanna do." She looked at him and gave a once-over, cooing. "I'd do _you_."

He almost choked on his own spit.

Instead, he chose to smile at her. "You must be more drunk than I think."

She pouted harder, if that was even possible. "It's _trueee_ ," she slurred, "You have nice arms." In accordance to that statement, her arms reached out to hold his biceps, the woman letting out sounds too obscene for his healthy mind. While it was nice she appreciated his noodle-but-still-muscly arms, perhaps she shouldn't have let the sounds out. The alcohol did its numbers on his mind as well, after all.

"And nice haaaands," she said then, grasping his fingers. "I always love nice hands. Oh- Oh and a nice _butt_." She smiled at him, batting her eyelashes.

Kakashi gulped. This wasn't what he expected from her.

 _She's drunk_ , he told himself. _She's never going to say this to me if she's sober._

She probably didn't even realize that it was Kakashi, and that thought brought a sour feeling in his mind that he hastily pushed away.

 _Whatever._ He thought, grasping her hands and attempted to make her stand.

"Come on, Sakura," he muttered, "let's take you home."

"Hnngh?" She mumbled to herself, "You'll-" she hiccuped, "take me home?"

"Yes, of course," he answered, "it's dangerous to go home alone when you're drunk, no matter how strong you are."

"Whyyy," she almost poked his nostrils, "are you not _drunk_?"

"Because I drink less than you, obviously," he muttered, "c'mon, up."

"You're so sweet," she giggled, stumbling as she stood, "so sweet, Kashi."

He almost froze at the nickname. Heat rushed through him, a heat that he ignored in favor of having her steady herself. "Finally recognizing me now, Sakura?"

Sakura squinted in response, letting out a long-drawn hum. He sighed, well there went her recognition of him.

"C'mon. Let's go home."

"Home?"

"Yes. Home. Bed. Sleep. No hangover, hopefully. No promises in that part, though," he smirked lightly, guiding her through the crowd to walk out of the bar. In his way out, Ino caught his gaze, her cheeks flushed. Obviously she hadn't drunk as much as Sakura, although she did look kinda tipsy as well. Genma was another thing entirely though, the man was obviously drunk by now. Ino took one look at Sakura and raised an eyebrow at him, in which he replied with a nod, a silent promise to take care of the pink haired medic. The blond Yamanaka responded with a nod of her own.

That matter taken care of, he walked with her outside, Sakura leaning on his shoulder as they walked.

"You're really nice," she muttered, "no one had taken me home before."

He simply hummed in reply.

"You're not- You're not," she paused, squinting. He waited patiently for her to continue, humming lightly as indication that he was waiting for her to finish. Though in the end she just grumbled and slumped, possibly forgetting what she was about to say.

"You're really nice."

"So I've been told," he responded.

"Mm, really nice."

"Mm-hmm."

"I like nice guys," she said then, peering up at him almost shyly. Her cheeks were flushed, mostlikely because of the alcohol than any sort of attraction toward him, much to his chagrin.

"That's good," he smiled down at her, in which she seemed to be happy to receive, because her smile brightened than ever, her cheeks still red.

"Right?" She seemed like someone that just received free candy, "I really like nice guys. I really like _you_." She giggled, seemingly oblivious to how Kakashi stiffened in surprise at her words.

"Hey," she hugged his arm, staring up at him dreamily. "I love you."

Heat crept up his cheeks, and Kakashi could swear steam went out of his ears. His grey eyes stared at Sakura's slightly unfocused green ones, wide and shocked.

"I love you, yeah?" She tugged his arm, "Hey. Hey."

He had to get out of here. His cheeks were burning, and he was overwhelmed with the urge to say it back to her. _I love you_ , his mind screamed, _I love you too_. _So much_.

But he couldn't. She was drunk, and she probably didn't realize that he was, well, Kakashi. She wasn't really coherent, and there was always a possibility that she saw someone else. Heck, she could probably be imagining Sasuke, despite her claiming she was over him a few months ago.

Therefore, Kakashi simply grunted and took her into his arms, ignoring her squeak as he said as light as he could, "let's get you home as quickly as we can, yeah?"

He brought her home in record time, and although there was some fuss in getting her into sleep, she fell asleep soon enough, tangled with her own soft pink blanket.

It was only after she was safe in her own bed, her doors and windows locked and wards activated, after he himself got home to his apartment, Kakashi allowed himself to sigh heavily, sitting on his bed, looking weary for the world.

Thinking back, he couldn't help but to wonder, if Sakura really truly liked him ( _loved him_ ) as she said through that drunken confession,

or if, perhaps, when doing so, she was seeing somebody else, thinking of somebody else.

In the midst of his emotions, at war with himself, he wondered which one he truly preferred. Because he loved her, truly, he loved her _so much_ , that he felt sometimes that he could burst, that he could make poems about her that could be turned into a tome, that he could find himself sometimes smiling with no other reasons other than her.

He loved her, but, _but._

He didn't think he was worthy. Not worthy of her love, her affection, her smiles and hope and _devotion_. Not worthy of happiness.

Because the ones that Kakashi loved and loved Kakashi back always got destroyed somehow, someway.

Because the ones he loved had always crumbled under his arms, always destroyed by his very own arms.

( _Father, Obito, Rin, Team Seven-_ )

Kakashi closed his eyes.

In the middle of the night, he closed his eyes, and thought for many hours to come, and many more days to come.

( _Am I worthy of happiness?)_

( _I do not know.)_


End file.
